The 8th Mage
by QStionableSanity
Summary: Calen wondered why he was the only one who could 'see' the magic when casted. Why couldn't anyone see it? Although he did felt special and unique, he also felt that he doesn't belong to this world. He found his wish to be answered but he may or may not like the truth about his ability. Fanfic on Dragon of Trelian series. No pairings. Slightly AU.
1. Prologue

Prologue

It was months after the fight with Sen Eva and a slaar on top of the highest hidden tower. Jakl became an official kingdom dragon and Meg were left with the responsibility of taking care of her dragon and keeping him in line from eating anything in the farm or village other than some large fish and occasional sheep or goat or even stray wild animals.

Calen never been so happy when he got an unlimited access to his master's vast library. Who knows what can he learn from them. Despite being a royal order, he was still supervised whenever he go to read a book to Calen's displeasure.

He trained harder and more determined than ever. His master knows how to encourage him via threatening him from limiting the number of topics he could freely browse from without any long lecture about do's and don'ts to read.

His 'spark' grew, from unintentional slip of tongue from Serek, and his lessons became wider and broader scale. Of course his memorizing names and date were more tedious than ever, but he could handle it if it means to please his master and allow him to learn new spells and skills needed to become a true mage and receive his first true mark. But right now he have to focus and prove to Serek that he is and will receive that mark for the upcoming gathering of mages.

His lessons were focused not just on how to cast it but also what it is. Serek dwelled and explored Calen's unique ability to see the magic being cast. He knows what type of magic through the colors. For example, violet for motion, orange for neutralization, black of concealment, blue for soothing, yellow for light and fire, and so on. Calen describe in detail on what he sees and understand as his master cast a spell from simple to complex according to Serek's mood, it seems random to Calen but he could not shake the feeling that it has a pattern. They both wondered why he was the only one among the magic users to have this ability. Calen mostly dreamed, even hoped, to know why and how he came to his ability. Why was he so different from the others?


	2. Painless

**Chapter 1**

"I just wish I was gifted with the Touch of Sight" Calen breath to Meg, his best friend who is the third princess of Trelian. They were walking through the woods, hoping to find their way back home.

Calen were tasked by Serek to look for more ingredients for a healing potion and some medicinal herbs. Meg tagged along when she spotted her friend before he exits the gate before the second bell. The herbs were rare enough that could only be found on the boundary of the King's land. Specifically, the boundary between the forest of Trelian and the river going to Lourin, land of King Gerald. Although they are not in war with this kingdom but they are territorial if given the chance. So Meg and Calen stayed just outside the other kingdom's boundary but far enough outside Trelian. After getting some needed herbs for wounds and cure the poison sustained by the soldiers during the fight with a slaar -a disfigured reptile like creature that has poison in their talons and a screech that could damage your eardrums even a mile away – they found themselves lost in the woods. They didn't realize they strayed from the path until Calen pointed out that he doesn't recognize the surrounding plants and trees any longer.

"How come?" Meg is a smart 14 year old princess. She knows and somehow read what was her friend was thinking. She could read him like a book, literally. But there are times that Calen's question are out of the blue so to speak that it became vague and seemingly unrelated to the topic at hand. Just like now.

"Well, if I could see the future then I would know whether or not to go to this path so that I know that we are going to loose our way home. Or I would know if whether we can find our way back home or not in some time in the future. Sometimes I wondered… " Calen started to babble.

Meg usually use a reproachful voice to stop Calen from babbling and cut him off before she could die from exasperation, then force him to go straight to the point. But right now she just allowed Calen to babble endlessly since she has nothing better to do other than being lost in an unfamiliar forest once again.

"Calen, are we close?" Meg became tired after long hours of walk around these trees.

"Yes we are. I could see some plants that are unique only to Trelian. I think I thought so." Calen began to catalogue his knowledge about plants and trees that were spent hours and hours of memorizing these boring names under Serek's apprenticeship. _At least it became useful._

"Then lets go" She could not take it any longer. Her hunger and tiredness became her driving energy to go faster and bolted towards her home, grabbing Calen's forearm then yanked him forward painfully, dragging him across the forest to the safety of their homeland.

Before both parties could go any further, Calen tripped on something. He cut his ankle and tumbled forward taking the feisty impatient girl with him.

"Calen, what-" Meg tried to scold him for not looking where he was going despite yanking him forcefully. She cut herself not because she saw he was bleeding profusely but because he was staring at the object that tripped him in an eerily strange way. His face was expressionless. His eyes are distant. His posture relaxed, and his breathing were deep. It was calming, but it was at the same time unnerving. She tried to call him.

"Calen"

No response from the boy.

"Calen!"

Still he did not move.

"CALEN!" she approached her frozen friend and shook his shoulders, trying to coax the boy to respond.

"Huh?"

Meg released her breath she did not know she was holding when she heard his response, albeit a dazed and unfocused one.

"What's wrong?" She looked at him worriedly. "I don't know. I just…" He still looked daze but he shook his head to rid of the weird fog that wrap his mind with. He crouched forward to pull the object from the ground. It was surprisingly small that could trip a preteen boy. It was barely the size of Calen's palm. It has a semi circular edge with distinct chips and nicks around the pointed area. It was conical and flat. Its shaped like it was a piece of something much larger, and it look so ancient.

"I just…" Calen repeated. He doesn't know what was wrong with him. _I just feel that I've seen this before._ He shook his head once again and smiled at his staring friend. "I'm fine. Nothings wrong" He saw that Meg wasn't convinced. He just have to try harder then. So he have to distract her long enough to drop the subject "I just wondered how a piece so small could trip me". Although its purpose was for distraction, his disbelief is genuine. He furrowed his eyebrows and stared intensely at the object at his palm wondering why the symbols that look like dancing snakes, that he could read it somehow. He held a silent gasp at the markings became readable, or rather recognizable. He narrowed his eyelids then concentrate-

"Calen! You can continue giving that object a hard scolding later, but right now we need to go home. I need to eat and you need to patch that wound of yours." Meg called out from her shoulders. Calen looked up and saw she was good 10 feet away from him. "Coming!" He pocketed the object and ran, catching up with his friend.

 _Wait, what wound?_

He about to ask but she was far away now. Too far for his liking. He redoubled his effort and ran faster.


	3. Blindness

Chapter 2

"You were lost from the errand." It wasn't a question that's for sure, when it was directed towards Calen. "Yes" he knew better than trying to explain why they only arrive after dusk that he and Meg was suppose to arrive some time in the late afternoon. He would check on Meg tomorrow. He's sure she was also having a scolding sermon, well not as bad as he was getting now but sermon nonetheless.

He arrived at Serek's lounge, only to find his master behind an oak desk, doing who knows what. He doesn't look angry. His stoic face revealed nothing – no surprise there – and his busier than ever. The poisoned soldiers were not recovering from their wounds. At least they were being kept from dying. And that's a good thing , right? A progress?

"How did you skinned your ankle?" Calen was surprised with his master's concern for his well being.

"Ankle?" He looked down and still it was bleeding, but not as much as a while ago in the forest. _Oh! So that's where my wound is. I wonder why I did not feel anything._

"You are not aware I take it?" Serek ask in his monotone voice. He stood up after seeing his apprentice nod and prepared for the examination of the wound. Its not lethal to warrant a trip to the medical ward but deep enough to give a physical check up. Serek ordered him to sit on the desk and rest his wounded ankle on a chair. Calen should have used a healing spell, to Calen's embarrassment of oversight, but Serek hummed in confusion and contemplation when he tried to heal it himself, to much for surprise in Calen's part. It did heal, but slower than expected. Really, his master is just unpredictable in the best of times. Why did he do it when he knows it's a simple wound for Calen to use his own healing spell? Its not like it could kill or anything. Right?

"How did you get that wound?" Serek asked his apprentice once again.

"I tripped" Calen said sheepishly and blushed. Serek just raised his eyebrow, as if to tell 'go on'. "with this" Calen reached into his pocket and withdraw the weird object and held out in front of Serek. Serek stood and took the object and inspect it. It did not escape his notice of blood stained on the sharp triangular area and cracks on the periphery of the semi circular area.

Serek just hummed "I'll hold on to it for a while". Before Calen could protest, Serek send him a meaningful 'Don't argue with me' glare. Calen just puffed and pouted before asking if he could go to bed early and if he could also skip dinner. Serek just nod his head once and gestured the boy to leave him and do so his wish.

Calen did not sleep right away that night. He was staring at the ceiling absentmindedly. A single question echoed inside his mind, depriving him some necessary sleep. _Where did those dancing snake go? It was there when I was holding it, when he took it, it was gone. Where did it go? Where?... Where…._

It was some time in wee hours that he was finally claimed by Morpheus and succumbing to slumber, the question still remains plaguing his mind:

 _Where…_

Serek watched his apprentice retreat to his room before returning his gaze at the strange object. He deposited the ancient object on the table. Lymerone perked up and stared at the table. Serek saw this and he knew right away that the object has magic residue. He browsed his vast colletion of his successor's library and searched for any information about the strange object. Hours of reading and still no information can be found about it.

He started to form his identifying spells onto the object but it got repelled. It seems the object resistant to magic. So that must be the reason why when it wounded Calen, it took Serek a lot of energy than necessary to heal a simple wound.

When he held the object when Calen showed to him he noticed the widening of the boy's eyes. As if he saw something that he missed. When he told to the youth that he will keep it he glared at Calen before he can start to argue. He was surprise to see his young ward retreat to his own chamber, as if pondering something, without any further protest. What more, Calen loves food. He doesn't just skip dinner. Frankly, this is the first time to skip his dinner. And at that moment he knew something, saw something that isn't there for Serek to see plainly. Calen must have seen it through his 'inner eye' as he called it. He will talk to his apprentice tomorrow, but right now he must know what this object is.

It interested him. Somehow Calen never cease to surprise him. Even to Calen's ability to attract strange things.

 _What trouble did he put himself now?_

So guys, what do you think? This was actually pre book 2: Princess of Trelian

Please R&R !('3')!


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